Letter: Whitehall mothers

THE IMPLICATION that civil servants generally are benefiting from the 10 nursery places provided by the Department of Environment, Transport and the Regions ("Worried about childcare costs? You're not a civil servant, then", 20 February) is ridiculous. The biggest childcare provider, the Ministry of Defence, only has 500 places. What of the rest? Minimal, if any, provision.

I have worked in the Civil Service since 1974 and have children now aged 20 and 10. Apart from two short breaks for maternity leave, I have continued to work since joining. I have never had regular childcare provision made available to me by my employer and have never been aware of any available at Civil Service sites in the areas I have lived or worked.

Despite campaigns by Civil Service unions, successive governments have not come up with anything meaningful for the vast majority of their employees with children.

APRIL VESEY

Ruislip, Middlesex